Boston

Love that grandkid!!! :-)

We had a great trip to Boston to visit our family there. Well, it turned out OK after a rocky start. I had searched on Orbitz for a 3-star hotel to stay at since the one we usually use had prices through the roof for last weekend. Orbitz recommended the Bedford Plaza Hotel and the price was about what we had paid at our old place. The BPH website indicated that it might be a little "plain", but hey -- three stars!! So I booked it.

It was awful! First of all, they were doing renovations and there was a slight odor. The entry to the lobby was filthy. The front desk looked like one in a flea bag -- all it lacked was bullet-proof glass. The room was grungy. Baseboard heating coming apart, new carpet laid but not installed, suspicious stains in the tub, broken toilet seat, etc. We decided to stay one night and then checkout.

So we went to Alan and Alisa's where we had delicious Chinese takeout -- the granddaughter is at the "I don't do well in restaurants" stage (but otherwise she's perfect! ;-). Cathy was telling them about out hotel so we decided that if we could get reservations, we would move tonight. Lisa mentioned a Hampton Inn that just opened near Red Hat Software in Chelmsford so Alisa called and got us a reservation. Lisa and I went to the BPH, got our stuff and checked out. The clerk was reluctant to give us any paperwork and now I know why (see below).

We checked into the HI and it was like night and day. THIS was a 3-star hotel! Cathy was mollified, indeed.

On Saturday, we had lunch with Lisa and James at the Uncommon Grounds in Cambridge/Watertown. Great food, but crowded and noisy so we didn't get a chance to talk at all. Next time.

I got to watch the Patriots continue their unbeaten streak and also the surprising Celtics. Boston has become the mecca of sports now with the Red Sox World Series win, the Patriots, Boston College (until their last game) and the new Celtics, and even the Bruins have been above .500. I'm happy.

Also, I got to play with my new TomTom One 2nd edition GPS that I got on sale for less than $200!! I like it a lot despite its attachment to the GW Bridge. A word of explanation: we go to Boston via the NJ Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, Tappan Zee Bridge, I684, I84, MassTurnpike. TomTom like I95 and the GW Bridge which I avoid because there is always traffic and construction. However, Tom don't know from that so at every opportunity until we crossed the Hudson River, Tom has a suggestion on how we could get to the GW Bridge!!!

It did flunk one big test. We were on I91 bypassing Hartford when we got a traffic alert about an accident that had closed the two left lanes. As we got to where there was a slowdown, I took the exit thinking that Tom would find an alternative route to Boston automatically (I didn't think of pushing his "Find an Alternative" button!), but all he did was say "Turn around at your earliest opportunity". <sigh>

I'm learning about TomTom itineraries, a way to plot your own route before you start. Someone has a website that will convert a Google route to a TT itinerary but you have to play with the Google map a lot to get it to mark waypoints that TT will understand. Tedious. Back in my flying days, one of the planes I rented had what they called "RNAV", a scheme in which (if I remember correctly) you could enter waypoints instead of FAA-published routes and use them. But it took only a few waypoints to go from Trenton airport to Logan in Boston, not the dozens that Tom seems to need. Ah, the freedom of not having to travel on roadfs!!

Anyway, I called Orbitz today to see about a refund (after a couple of rounds of emails), and they said they called the BPH and the clerk said their records showed we stayed there three nights!!! No wonder the clerk didn't want to give me any checkout paperwork! However, I do have something from them that I got as we left, and of course I have the receipt from the HI that shows we stayed there those three nights.

I'll keep you posted.

And now some pictures!!